July’s Warrior of the Month: Hannah May
🌿 A True Warrior: Hannah May🌿
We’re thrilled to highlight Hannah as our July Warrior of the Month! Hannah is a true light in our Zen community — if you’ve shared space with her, you’ve felt it. Her presence is grounded, compassionate, and full of grace. Read more about her journey below in her own heartfelt words.
1. How long have you been practicing at Zen?
Since they opened in 2021. I absolutely love their sound meditation events and their wide variety of classes to enjoy, pending which season of life I am in.
2. What does being part of the studio mean to you?
In the past, the studio was a place for me to embody the more mindful, still, and intentional part of my movement practice. I always chose the more gentle and meditative classes for this reason. The classes were so helpful in balancing the scales of what was an incredibly demanding work schedule, full social life, and daily exercise routine. Zen classes were an anchor — giving myself time in the week to slow down, really feel my breath, stretch, release, and get more internally connected. It was a much-needed and invaluable slice of self-care. A place that not only could I access MYSELF, but I had the sacred space to NOT be accessed by the rest of the world.
Once I became pregnant this winter, the studio took on an entirely different meaning for me. I had chosen to press the “pause” button on my successful business helping others heal holistically, to really focus on myself and this transition into motherhood. This was harder on me than I anticipated, as my life’s work was so integrated into “who I was” and influenced every single moment of my waking day. My day-to-day life looks so different now while pregnant than it has since I opened my business in 2010.
The blessing of pregnancy had my body undergoing massive change (of course) that led to really uncomfortable 24/7 nausea for 20 weeks, which was an incredible challenge to my spirit. All of a sudden I was fighting to feel well moment to moment, experiencing major identity changes, stuck inside my house in a very cold winter and then rainy spring, and struggling for my body to have the capacity to do ANYTHING that normally brought me joy or comfort.
Then, Zen opened their prenatal yoga class. What a blessing. Although still not feeling well, I showed up because I knew if I had to leave from feeling unwell, I could simply excuse myself.
As it turns out, I fought tears of relief, grief, and joy the entire first class. It hit me that I didn’t feel so alone, sitting amongst other women who were in what felt like the “trenches” with me. It was validating, but it was also a beacon of light and hope, seeing that the intensity would eventually soften for me, as I observed these other beautiful mamas also in highs and lows. Although all of our experiences were very different, there were overlaps in our challenges and joys. Their bodies looked like my changing body. Their identity — most of them also first-time moms — also now included this beautiful but massive shift, responsibility, and unknown journey ahead. I felt like I belonged somewhere again. I left the first class and sobbed in my car because I didn’t realize until I landed in that class just how much I desperately needed to be part of a community that I related to in this season of my life.
Since that first class, I have witnessed and experienced the highs and lows of this miraculous journey of pregnancy, feeling anchored to a safety net IF I needed it. I have been surrounded by women — even if it’s just one hour a week — that just “get it” in the present moment. Although surrounded by a community of women who have been in my shoes in the past, having a community who is actively experiencing it with me has really been impactful. We celebrate together, and we offer support in the tougher and more vulnerable moments. Zen was an answered prayer for me during such an incredibly exciting and joyful but also intensely transformative time of my life.
3. What benefits have you experienced through classes or special events?
Each class has provided me a different outcome.
Sometimes the benefits feel physical — my body feels less tense and more open. I leave classes lighter, more flexible, and somehow longer.
Other times I have felt like a weight has come off my mind, energy body, and soul. I feel calm, present, grateful, and more able to cope with whatever the day brings.
Every sound meditation event leaves me nurtured and soft. I always feel grateful to access such a deeply healing technique in such an economical and accessible way.
4. What’s your favorite pose, and why?
I love child’s pose. It’s so easy for me to deeply breathe in this pose, into every inch of my body. For me, yoga has always been about the connection to my breath. Most of the class, my eyes are shut as I attempt to really tune into my inner world and body… using yoga as the movement-meditation practice it can be, rather than a fitness class. This pose allows me to close out the world and just be with myself.
5. Any advice you’d offer to someone just starting their yoga journey?
Release any expectations of yourself or the classes. Each class will feel different.
Some classes you will feel super grounded and present after, like yoga has a reputation for. Other classes you may struggle to get present on your mat and may leave just as busy-brained or tense as you came in. And all of it is okay. Yoga is a lifestyle. Each breath, each moment, each time you show up to your mat matters, and the consistency will add up.
The medicine of yoga will rewire your body, mind, and spirit toward greater whole-being health over time — as long as you show up. So be gentle with yourself. Understand there is no right or wrong way to do, look, or relate to yoga. There is no better or worse type of class — there is only what YOU need.
And in the moments you think you need to compare yourself to anyone else in the class, remember that most of us are seeking the same things in life. And although your reasons for being on your mat may be different, they are self-focused. So no one is judging you as you move on your mat… most of us are too busy focusing on how to get to where WE want to be and will be tuned into ourselves (maybe even struggling through the same pose or attempt to stay with their breath, too!)
So get on that mat, get lost in your breath and body, and allow yourself to grow. You’ll be amazed what happens when you give yourself the space to just “be where you are” and blossom from there.
We are so honored to highlight Hannah this month. Her honesty, wisdom, and radiant spirit are a gift to everyone who crosses her path. Watching her move through this tender and powerful chapter — embracing motherhood with grace, depth, and vulnerability — is truly inspiring. We are cheering on Hannah, Chris, and their growing family with so much love, and we can’t wait to see all the beauty this next season brings.
